Field of the Invention
The subject covert actuation system is generally directed to a system for covertly actuating an electric device coupled thereto. More specifically, the subject covert actuation system is one which operates in concealed manner to automatically actuate one or more electric devices, such as an alarm or surveillance camera within a security system, upon the occurrence of a triggering condition, and does so in a highly reliable manner.
In applications such as building security systems, the need for reliable automatic actuation of its various alarm and surveillance equipment at the necessary times cannot be overstated. In such applications, a triggering condition invariably arises during the perpetration of a crime when those seeking to actuate the security system equipment are under the threat of immediate and serious bodily harm from those perpetrating the crime. An individual in such a threatening situation cannot realistically be expected to manually actuate the given security system equipment in a discrete enough manner to avoid endangering himself or herself and others, let alone to carry out remedial action should an automatic triggering device fail to function as expected. It is imperative, therefore, that any automatic actuation system in such an application trigger automatically when necessary, and that it do so in covert, yet failsafe, manner.
In known systems, the automatic actuation device is typically concealed within a currency drawer, or other storage compartment, assembly that is displaced relative to a cabinet or other frame structure between an open and a closed position. Hardwired electrical coupling between the actuation device and the electronic equipment outside the frame structure to be actuated is routed, for concealment purposes, from the drawer assembly through the internal spaces of the frame structure.
Thorough concealment of the actuation device is aided in no small measure by the presence in substantial volume of currency, documents, and other such articles amply occupying the drawer assembly which serve to block the actuating mechanism from view. While it is beneficial for concealment purposes, the abundance of articles within the given drawer assembly is hardly beneficial for system reliability purposes. Indeed, the loose contents of the drawer assembly tend to protrude outward into contact with the inner surfaces of the frame structure compartment into which the drawer assembly is received, in many cases escaping from the drawer assembly altogether into the frame structure compartment. The frequently unavoidable result, then, is an encroachment or other physical disturbance of the hardwired conductors leading from the actuation device in the drawer assembly and through the frame structure compartment. Over time, and with repeated withdrawal and return of the drawer assembly, the cumulative effect of the physical disturbance becomes sufficient to invoke failure of the actuation system.
The presence in ample numbers of various loose articles and debris related thereto within the drawer assembly is, in practice, virtually unavoidable and, in fact, necessary for concealment purposes. Consequently, measures must be taken to prevent disruptive contact not only between conductors leading to and from the drawer assembly and immediately surrounding hardware, but also between the conductors and the drawer assembly's loose contents. The conductors and electrical connectors typically employed for internal security system applications are not gauged to endure heavy duty use, nor extreme environmental conditions; therefore, they are quite vulnerable to failure-inducing mechanical disruptions. Conductors and connectors of significantly more durable, heavy duty construction do not provide a practical solution, as the augmented mechanical properties would necessarily be accompanied by diminished flexibility, bulkier volume, and greater weight--all of which tend to interfere with smooth operation of the drawer assembly, and thereby compromise the actuation system's concealability, among other things.